SEO Best Practices You Should Follow in 2020

Here is the bitter truth, if your website is not getting rankings on Google's top 10 results for your focused keywords then your website will be considered invisible on Google.

According to HubSpot, 75% of searchers never visit the second page of Google search results - that is why it becomes crucial to get the top rank of the first page of Google.

There are several strategies and methods that most of the top SEO companies are following to get better google rankings for their clients' websites. If you are thinking to perform the task by yourself you will need to make a strong grasp on the basics of SEO else this process will only take much of your time and at the end you will be left with zero results.

By following the best search engine optimization practices, you will be laying the foundation for your site to increase its visibility in various searches.

In this article, we will be discussing some of the best SEO practices that are followed by SEO companies for better search rankings in 2020.

Align Your Content with Search Intent

Search purpose (also known as user intent) is the main reason behind any search query. What comes first in Google's priority list is satisfying search intent. Pages that you are able to see on the first page of Google have all passed Google's litmus check on search intent.

For example, search and check the results for "how to make oatmeal cookies."

You will find some of the blog posts or videos on the top search results, not eCommerce websites that sell ready made oatmeal cookies. Google understands that those people who are searching with this specific keyword are looking to learn, not to shop for.

On the other hand, if you are making a query as "purchase or buy oatmeal cookies" you will see a lot of eCommerce pages. Because in this case, Google is familiar with the fact that people are in buy mode. Therefore, the results that are on the top don't include links to websites that show the recipe of oatmeal cookies.

For that reason, in case you would love to rank your web pages on page 1 of Google in 2020, you want to recognize the concept of search intent thoroughly. Also, you need to generate content that aligns with user intent.

It might seem like an easy task but when you start your reading about the theory and preparing your strategies you will know how difficult it is. Therefore, it is always recommended to all the business owners to look for some of the best SEO consultant and hire one that suits you the best. Top SEO companies have well trained employees who know everything about search intent and several other things that are required. They are working with the sole purpose of making your web page a top ranked page on Google.

Write a Compelling Title Tag and Meta Description

If you are new in this digital marketing world then the words title tags and meta description may scare you, but these are essential for every web page. The two most important meta tags on your web page are meta description and title tag. Let's understand title tags first.

Title Tags

The clickable headings which you see in the search results are title tags and are extremely crucial from an SEO perspective.

According to Google:

"Titles are important to giving customers a brief information about the content of a result and what relevance it makes with their question. It's often the primary piece of data used to decide which page to click on, so it's essential to use great and catchy titles on your web pages."

Search engines like Google generally display the first 50-60 characters of a heading. Google will display the heading to your page as long as the title tag is kept under 60 characters.

Here are some of the best practices that are generally used by top SEO companies for creating catchy title tags:

• Include your focused keywords in the title.

• Write a title that is relevant with the search intent.

• Do not create duplicate title tags.

• Avoid over use of keywords.

• Keep it descriptive however concise.

Meta Descriptions

The other most important meta tag for a website is the meta description. A meta description consists of a short summary of a page in SERPs. Meta descriptions are displayed just below the heading or title tag of the page.

Well, meta descriptions are not directly responsible for search rankings, but they play an important role for increase in click through rate.

Google explains meta description:

"A meta description tag is designed to inform and grab the users with a short and relevant summary of the content of a particular web page. Meta descriptions are a type of pitch that convince the users that the particular page is providing you the exact information about their search"

According to the guidelines given by Google, meta descriptions should be described under 155-160 characters. Make sure to design an accurate summary of your content that can be fitted in the given limits of characters.

Here are a few practices that are recommended by SEO companies which you should implement on your web page:

• The meta description should be unique for each web page.

• Use action-orientated words.

• It must include your focused keywords but make sure not to perform keyword stuffing.

• Keep search intent in mind.

• Provide a precise and accurate summary.

Other than this, you need to focus on the images, it should be of proper size as suggested in the guidelines. Image SEO should be performed correctly.

Optimize your page speed and use internal linking wherever possible and add keywords in the URL of each webpage. In order to get better SEO rankings you need to focus on authoritative backlinks and updating new content on a regular interval.

Make sure you have worked well on your webpages for providing a better user experience. At the end, there a lot more things which need to be performed cautiously. We recommend hiring an experienced SEO company that can help you achieve the desired results.